Pros rate Grand Lake, home of the 2013 Classic

With the Bassmaster Classic heading to Oklahoma’s Grand Lake in 2013, we asked anglers with Top 10 finishes in Elite events held there in 2006 and 2007 to give us their own take on the 46,500-acre impoundment and what they believe is the "Best time to fish" Grand Lake.

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B.A.S.S.

KELLY JORDON, 5th in 2007

“Grand Lake is in my top 20. It’s got a lot of available cover. It’s a pretty big body of water. It offers options up the river, shallow water, deep water, a lot of rock, wood, docks. It’s got pretty good available cover and it’s loaded with big bass. It’s a dynamic, healthy lake loaded with fish. It’s one of those lakes that I always like going to. It might even be in the top 10 … more like the top 15.”

Best time to fish:

“It’s good at a bunch of times. There’s no bad time but it’s pretty cold in winter.”

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B.A.S.S.

KEVIN VANDAM, winner in 2007

“It is one of the very best lakes I have fished that doesn’t have grass in it. As far as quality and size, it’s a top-notch fishery. It’s very healthy. It has a lot of shad. Because of the layout, it’s a pretty easy lake to fish. You don’t have to be a specialist. I’ve fished it quite a few times and it’s always impressed me with the numbers and size. It went through the virus and bounced back from that way better than most lakes. It’s definitely a top-notch fishery.”

Best time to fish:

“I’d say probably any time. In spring and fall, fish are up and it’s got a lot of willows to fish. April and November are the two best months of the year.”

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B.A.S.S.

EDWIN EVERS, 3rd in 2007, 4thin 2006

“It’s as good as it gets. It’s a great lake. It’s just big, diverse, a lot of different ways you can catch them. It’s not a Falcon but it’s unbelievable that with how much pressure it gets you can catch such big stringers.”

Best time to fish:

“June.”

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B.A.S.S.

AARON MARTENS, 9th in 2006

“I think it’s a great lake. It’s full of bass. It’s usually not an issue getting a limit there. You can use multiple patterns -- 30 feet then 20 minutes later in 5 feet. It’s a neat lake. I wish we’d go back there more often.”

Best time to fish:

“I’d say it is probably good all the time. If I had to pick one time, summer or fall. It’d be kind of cold in the winter.”

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B.A.S.S.

PAUL ELIAS, 6th in 2006

“I would probably put it in the top 10. It’s just got a lot of good quality fish, a lot in the 4- to 5-pound range. You don’t have a lot of choices; they’re either going to be on rocks, brush or docks, unless the water is up high then they’ll be in the willows.”

Best time to fish:

“Late fall, November and December.”

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B.A.S.S.

MARTY ROBINSON, 7th in 2007

“To me, it’d probably be in the top 10, if not the top 5. That’s where my best Elite finish has been so far. I think it’s a real fertile lake and has a lot of nutrients feeding into it and has thick forage — a lot of shad.”

Best time to fish:

“June. In 2007, the water was high and it was starting to drop and had a little bit of current, and the fish were really ganged up on the gravel points. There were huge schools of fish on those places. I’m sure spring fishing is great out there; I’ve never fished it then. Mid to late spring to early summer as far as numbers.”

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B.A.S.S.

BOYD DUCKETT, 8th in 2007

“I think it’s a great fishery. It’s a super lake, and it has a lot of quality fish. It is one of the few places you can throw all the standard lures and still catch them. It’s got a real good, aggressive population of fish. It’s not technique specific. I would legitimately put it in my top 20 for destinations that I would choose."

Best time to fish:

“I have never been there when you couldn’t catch them.”

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B.A.S.S.

MIKE MCCLELLAND, winner in 2006

“Grand Lake would have to rank in my top 5 on the lakes I fish on a regular basis. Narrow it down to my top in the Midwest, and it would move into top 3. It’s so much more angler friendly than a Kentucky Lake or a Guntersville. You can go to Grand Lake and fish a number of different ways and patterns.”

Best time to fish:

“In my mind, the only bad time to fish is in the fall turnover period. Any other time, it’s an exceptional lake.”

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B.A.S.S.

DEAN ROJAS, 5th in 2006

“It’s a good lake. It’s got a lot of fish in it, and I love going there. I’ve had some good finishes, there and it kind of caters to my fishing style. It offers a lot of different options to fish.”

Best time to fish:

“In the fall and early spring. The fish get shallow and they’re eating.”

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B.A.S.S.

KEVIN SHORT, 4th in 2007

“For the way I like to fish, it’s probably in my top 10. Most of the year, it’s a shallow crankbait lake. It’s got a lot of numbers and size. It’s a big lake and you can catch them from one end to the other. You can go upriver and catch them and go down to the dam.”

Best time to fish:

“Late March, early April. It’s really good in late winter, early spring for fishing jerkbaits. When the water is up in the willows, it’s fantastic in the spring for flipping. Summer’s great for big crankbaits and football jigs. There are three different seasons when you can catch 25-pound bags.”

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B.A.S.S.

MATT REED, 10th in 2007, 2nd in 2006

“I love Grand Lake. I’ve only been there a few times but it compares well to a lot of the good structure lakes. It’s in the upper class of lakes across the country. Anywhere that takes 18 to 20 pounds a day to win would be in the upper echelon.”

Best time to fish:

“I like to fish it in June, when it’s structure fishing time.”

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B.A.S.S.

JEFF KRIET, 2nd in 2007

“It’s Katie-bar-the-door good. It’s got all of the right stuff: big rocks, channel swings, deep water next to shallow and tons of bait. You can fish it shallow or fish it deep. It’s like Guntersville. You can find them on a drop and work on them. And these fish aren’t afraid to bite when it’s cold. You can catch 25 pounds a day and still not win.”